


strange it may seem

by vampirejanuary



Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Fangorn Forest, Fluff, Helm's Deep, M/M, gimli and legolas' gay road trip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:55:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27944897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vampirejanuary/pseuds/vampirejanuary
Summary: Gimli and Legolas finally fulfill their promises to visit the Fangorn and Helm's Deep together.
Relationships: Gimli (Son of Glóin)/Legolas Greenleaf
Comments: 2
Kudos: 62





	strange it may seem

The Fangorn Forest was just a forest.

Ancient trees reached up to the sky, far higher than Gimli could ever dream of reaching (not that he’d ever dream of such a thing, he was quite happy down here on the ground thank you), all crowding for space and creating a seemingly endless maze of trunks and roots. Only the bravest of the sun’s rays ventured down through the thick canopy, casting dappled golden light on the lush green forest floor. In spite of this meagre illumination, or perhaps because of it, there seemed to be a solid, almost tangible shadow creeping about at the foot of the trees.

The path that they followed twisted and turned, disappearing in places and reappearing twice over, as two paths running parallel for a stretch, before turning sharply away from one another, forcing the pair into choosing only one to follow. Trees seemed to uproot themselves behind Gimli’s back, only to freeze back into inanimate plants before he could catch their movement in his eye. Whilst the path ahead stretched indefinitely, when Gimli glanced back he found himself unable to pick out the route they had followed mere moments previously.

Try as he might, Gimli could not shake the feeling of being watched. Something was rustling about in the undergrowth, ever present but never close enough to identify, never obvious enough to be anything more than the wind, or some woodland creature. But Gimli knew better. These were ancient trees, rich with powerful magic and full of dangerous creatures. Whatever it was, it was malicious, and not at all happy to be playing host to a dwarf and his axe.

Legolas merely laughed when Gimli voiced his worries, the sound tinkling like wind chimes, oddly muffled by the stifling silence of the forest. But he offered Gimli his hand after that, and didn’t stray too far from his side. He smiled often, and pointed out flowers, drawing Gimli’s attention to signs of life he would otherwise have missed. When he smiled, Gimli no longer felt so keenly the lack of sunlight, and when he laughed the quiet no longer felt so overpowering.

Perhaps the forest did not want Gimli there, but Legolas did, and for that he would brave the wrath of the trees.

They slept under the stars. Legolas shared his people’s stories, great epics immortalised in the night sky. Gradually, he began to sing, sometimes in Westron, sometimes in an elven tongue that Gimli did not recognise. Though he could not always understand the words, his voice carried with it great emotion, the sound clear and strong, carrying far through the forest. The trees groaned in chorus, and Gimli’s last feeling before sleep took him was one of great contentment.

He awoke with his head in Legolas’ lap. The elf was still singing, voice slightly hoarse now, fingers combing gently through the dwarf’s hair. He smiled, and asked Gimli if he liked the forest.

Gimli found he could say nothing but yes.

Helm’s Deep was just a cave.

Thick pillars of rock stretched up into darkness, supporting a distant ceiling of rock. Though the light petered out long before any end to the cavern could be found, the gargantuan stalagmites served as a constant reminder of the tonnes of rock pressing down from above, standing solidly between him and the sky. The way into this cavern had been a twisting labyrinth of oppressive, cramped spaces and low ceilings, the darkness flickering and dancing on the uneven walls, briefly repelled by the torch Gimli carried but ever present, ever ready to swoop back in and obscure everything.

Branching off from the cavern itself were hundreds of similar passages, all equally narrow though each unique in its specific set of twists and turns. Legolas knew he could wander for centuries out there, alone, and never see the light of day again. These tunnels were natural, untouched by dwarven hands, yet Legolas could not help but feel that some malicious entity had mapped them out, carefully crafting each passage to create an unsolvable maze.

Gimli had been apt in his description of these caverns, and their torchlight was reflected back at them from a thousand different surfaces, glowing myriad colours and casting strange shadows that twisted and spun between the stone pillars. There was a strange majesty in it, but Legolas could not help but shiver under the cold, unfeeling light. He thought only that this beauty could be extinguished in an instant, a mere puff of air could leave him alone in a stone tomb of darkness, left to wander these twisting caves for eternity, forever separated from the warmth of the sun.

Gimli merely grunted at Legolas’ complaints, the sound echoing and reverberating throughout the vast empty space until it seemed some great beast was growling from all sides. But the dwarf reassured Legolas that he had plenty of spare torches, and that no dwarf had ever been lost underground and he did not intend to be the first. Then the dwarf took his hand to guide him through the caverns, gazing in awe at the crystals thriving in the darkness. His face was illuminated by the strangely-coloured lights and he murmured beautiful words, almost poetry.

Perhaps the beauty of the caves was cold and unfeeling, but it ignited a passion in Gimli and Legolas would happily follow him to the centre of the earth to see his contented smile and hear his joyful words.

When they emerged, the sun was peeking over the horizon, and Legolas basked in its warmth. Shyly, Gimli presented him with a clear shard of crystal, though Legolas had not noticed him taking it from the caves. As the sun inched ever higher, he held it up as high as he could reach. Slowly, the sun’s rays hit it, and Legolas saw a rainbow of colours refracted out of it.

Gimli grinned, and asked Legolas if he enjoyed the caves.

Legolas found he could say nothing but yes.


End file.
